Alex McLeish is keen to open contract negotiations with a view to extending his commitment to Birmingham City beyond the end of next season. The manager's reputation has been enhanced by their 14-match unbeaten run, including a club-record 12 games without defeat in the Premier League, and prompted concern that the Scot could be lured away.

McLeish, however, insisted that he is eager to finish the job he has started at St Andrew's, where he believes the combination of a promising team allied to investment in the club's infrastructure can help realise his ambition of establishing Birmingham as a Premier League club.

"My coaches deserve a review and we can all be accessible in terms of that," McLeish said. "I've still got 18 months left on my contract. I'd like to think there is scope there for us to extend that. I said it at the outset – and a few people were sceptical about those comments – I want Birmingham City to be a fixture in the Premier League. Not yo-yo up and down in it. We are not there yet, but if we can make that step, then it is there for us.

"We are laying foundations here. I believe that the way we have built the team up so far gives us scope to go forward. We haven't jumped too far ahead of ourselves. We are building it up nicely. Some [players] have come from other Premier League clubs but they still have a will to learn. And we have picked some young ones that want to be winners."

McLeish remains hopeful that he can recruit at least two more players to add to the Spanish midfielder Míchel before the transfer window closes, but he has also highlighted the need to add to his backroom staff. "I'm not one for superstars. We have gone for people with potential," said the Birmingham manager, who acknowledged that scouting is an area that still needs addressing.

As well as being happy in his work, McLeish revealed that another reason for wishing to stay at Birmingham is that his family has settled so well. "Where we live, south of Birmingham, is a fantastic place. We have access to London, Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds within an hour or so. We love the Cotswolds. We have done the villages, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, Bourton-on-the-Water, all those places. We like all the little pubs down there. I don't go there for the ale. I drive most of the time. But it's the food."